Values are at the heart of what we are. This applies to both individuals and companies. Values are not visible, but they are reflected in our attitudes, priorities, and behaviors and influence our daily decisions and actions.
Much is said and written about values in business and leadership. But just as often it is a challenge to make values tangible in everyday management life. Many questions arise: Why do we talk about values at all? With what purpose do we do this? What is the business case behind it? If these questions are not clarified in advance, we are often left with beautiful glossy posters ignored by everyone passing the hallway.
It is well worth taking the subject seriously. Various studies show that people who have insights into their own personal values are more committed and motivated – both in their private lives and at work. If they also find a match between their own values and those at work, the impact is even greater. Stress and anxiety associated with work decrease. Executives who know both their personal values and the values of their organisation are perceived as more credible and find it easier to make decisions. Research on this point is clear.
However, there is often a lack of concrete guidance and good discussion guidelines for relevance in everyday life.
ThreeIn closes this gap with a unique concept. In cooperation with the Swedish company Point of Value, we offer individual coaching and team workshops. We use Point of Value’s “value map” to make personal values tangible.
In the first step, each participant discovers his personal “value map”. This is done in a guided dialogue – because only then the information contained unfolds its full effect. The journey of discovery leads to increased clarity about personal values. In a second phase, the results are used to develop a future scenario: Where do the values point? Which values should (still) occupy more space in the future? An individual thus receives valuable impulses for further productive shaping of his or her own path in life. A team also discusses the question: How do our personal values relate to those of the company? What do they think and what don’t? What do we as a team want to put in the foreground?
We consciously refrain from aligning the personal values of our employees with those of the company. The studies show that the decisive factor for increasing well-being and identification with the company is the awareness of one’s own values – not the agreement with the company values.
Why does it work?
Studies show that a better understanding of one’s own values is the most important factor for a higher work commitment and motivation as well as for a reduction of work-related stress. The mediating step between the individual and the team (or organisation) leads to the creation of trust and communication. The exchange of personal values creates an environment of trust and psychological security that promotes cooperation.
The next step can be to support the team in formulating and adopting common values and to consciously create a corporate culture that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the organisation. In this way, you can increase coherence and create a positive work culture in which the individual thrives, the team functions and the organisation is successful.
